Carcinogens and cancers in freshwater fishes.

Epizootics of neoplasms in freshwater fish species are considered in relation to circumstantial and experimental evidence that suggest that some epizootics of neoplasia of hepatocellular, cholangiocellular, epidermal, and oral epithelial origin may be causally related to contaminant exposure. Although there is concern for the safety of consuming fish affected with neoplasms, this concern may be misdirected as direct transmission of cancer by ingesting cancerous tissue would seem unlikely. Of greater concern is the matter of toxic and cancer-causing chemicals present in edible fish that exhibit neoplasia as a symptom of past exposure via residence in a polluted waterway. There is ample evidence to suggest that contaminant chemicals ingested via contaminated Great Lakes fish may already be affecting both human and ecosystem health, but these effects are subtle and may require new approaches to the study of the affected systems.